Cunning Grace
by MeredyxD
Summary: Iron Fist Tournament 5, when it's Lili and Sergei's first time at the tournament. They both have their own reasons for joining, but what will happen once their paths cross?
1. Chapter 1

"Don't you know that I love you?" whispered Lili as she seductively pressed her lips against Sergei's neck. Sergei stayed silent, as usual, which left the question unanswered...

* * *

><p>Their relationship had started the second day of the Iron Fist Tournament. Sergei had noticed the blonde haired, graceful yet cunning girl before he stepped into his match. Then again, he had been spying on all of his rivals before the start of the tournament (old habits died hard), so it wasn't anything special about Lili or anything. Yet the girl was somehow different from all the other competitors in the tournament. She wasn't as strong as the Williams sisters, nor as flexible as Christie; but she had that glint in her eyes. The pleasure to defeat, the need to win. Sergei could tell just by looking at her that this was a girl that would do anything to get her way...<p>

Lili was 16 when she decided to enter the Iron Fist Tournament for the sake of her father. Her father was a wealthy businessman, and he encountered many problems concerning enemies that wanted to claim his position as that. The main source of his problems was no other than Mishima Zaibatsu, the host of the Iron Fist Tournament Lili had decided to enter. She was determined to win the tournament and show Mishima just what you got when you messed with a Rochefort; and she wasn't going to let **anyone** get in her way.

Sergei Dragunov was a Russian soldier who was an expert in spying, shooting and killing. He had no mercy on his preys; they called him the "White Angel of Death". When he entered the tournament, he started gathering information about all of his rivals; about how you had to avoid Julia's kicks, and block Ganryu's punches. He learned which moves to use with which opponent; and created a battle strategy in his mind for every competitor. He was going to eliminate every competitor from the tournament until none were left...

On the first day Lili had gone up against Hwoarang. He was a strong fighter, and Lili had seemed impressed by his skills; up until the moment she won the match. Hwoarang laid on the ground after being hit with one of Lili's famous high kicks, and he had no strength left in his body to get up and fight back. "Pathetic." Lili said, without even turning to look at Hwoarang. The girl was an admirer of power. It didn't take good looks, money or charm to impress the Rochefort girl. In order to allure her, one had to have strength and power, power which exceeded her skills. She would never be willing to date someone weaker than her; where would the challenge be in that?

Sergei had single-handedly taken out Xiaoyu in his first match; and Lili, who had been in the audience, was thoroughly impressed by the silent yet deadly Russian's ferocity. She licked her lips and mumbled his name to herself : "Hmm.. Dragunov."

That afternoon, after all the matches had been fought and the winners were determined, Lili searched for Sergei in the training center. She found him in the corner of the room, pretending to practice on a dummy while he observed the others' moves. Lili approached him and moved her face to just an inch away from his'. "Hey, soldier." she purred. "Saw you in your match today. You almost broke poor Xiaoyu's neck in the ring.". She snickered. "If you can't take a little pain, then you shouldn't enter the tournament in the first place; isn't that right honey?" she said, putting her arm on Sergei's shoulder. Sergei, repulsed by the gesture, took the arm and twisted it, removing it from contact with his upper body. "Ow!" Lili exclaimed seductively, and stepped on Sergei's foot. Startled, Sergei dropped her arm, and Lili was quick to pull it away from him. "Whenever you need a partner to practice with, just call me up sweetie. I'll be up in my room." Lili said suggestively, quickly turning around and leaving the training center in rapid yet sexy steps.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: "беспощадный" translates into "ruthless". (If wrong correct me please! ^.^)

**CHAPTER 2**

The next day Sergei woke up with the first rays of sunlight. Then again he hadn't slept, he never really slept, not ever since the day...

He just liked to be conscious and aware of all potential threats. He lied awake, pretending to sleep but keeping one eye slightly open, looking out for any kind of danger. Back in Russia, back at home, you had to be conscious to stay alive. Be foolish enough to ignore your surroundings and you were dead. He knew that. He had killed many people who were foolish...

Lili had also gotten up early, eager to wake up and have a day of fighting. She would tell herself that she was doing this fighting thing for her dad, only her dad; but that wasn't the truth. She was bloodthirsty, and she knew it. She liked to get into fights, beat her opponents; desired to look into their defeated eyes. The whole world was divided into two categories for the girl; "Ones that are stronger" and "Ones that are weaker". It took a lot of tricks, a lot of blood, a lot of sweat to determine which people fit into which category. _But she never got tired of it..._

Dragunov was rarely tired, despite his lack of sleep. After he got up he walked to the training center, taking note of every detail he saw along the way. When he arrived, he saw Lili and another girl, Asuka, fighting each other vigorously. Kicks and punches were flying around (Kicks being Lili's and punches being Asuka's strenght. Noted.), and constant swearing and screaming was heard. Asuka pulled Lili's hair, shoving her to the ground and putting her foot on top of her stomach. Lili quickly grabbed her foot and threw Asuka off herself, making her land face-down on the ground. Then she got off the floor by doing a backflip(She was vey bendy. Noted. ... ...Wait, why was this noted?), landing on Asuka's back and making her scream in pain. "You give up?" Lili asked her. "Never!" the girl yelled and tried to get up, but Lili pressed her body down with her heel. She held her arms and twisted them, asking "Still not giving up?". Asuka managed to get a"no" out of her lips, but her body was starting to give up. Lili twisted her arms even more. She then let them go and grasped her hair, pulled her head back and smashed it to the floor. "Give up?" she asked, and when Asuka remained silent she smashed her head again, this time more violently, and asked her, "GIVE UP?!". "Yes!" Asuka cried, wanting but unable to hold her head in her hands. "Good" Lili said and smiled; then snickered as she let go of Asuka's head.

"беспощадный" Sergei said, letting himself smile just a little to show his admiration for the girl's cruelty. Lili approached the man in confident steps and put one hand on his shoulder. He didn't swat it away this time, letting her touch him. She put her other hand on his cheek; delicately brushed it and whispered, "Thank you.". Then she turned around and left, so quick that her fingernails left a scratch mark on his cheek. Sergei waited for a moment after she left the room, shook his head and grinned to himself; then exited the room without even looking at the knocked out girl on the floor...


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

It had been a few hours since his encounter with Lili; and Sergei had already stepped into and won his match with Wulong. It had not been easy, but in the end Sergei had trapped Wulong's body with his legs and locked his arms around his neck, choking the air out of him. Wulong had started to cough, and Sergei pulled his neck back. A "Krr-rrtt" sound escaped from Wulong's neck, and Sergei let go. The crowd gasped, especially Lili, who was watching Sergei with excitement and delight. With one final kick, Sergei knocked Wulong to the ground. He had won his second match, ascending among his competitors.

Meanwhile Lili had been thinking about her upcoming match. She hadn't gone up against her opponent yet, but she was... nervous. Not because she was afraid of losing the match, but because she was afraid of letting her dad down. If she won the tournament, the news would spread like wildfire: "Emilie de Rochefort, daughter of the wealthy Monacan oil magnate wins Iron Fist Tournament 5! ". It wouldn't be much time until the news would reach her father's ear, and he would be extremely disappointed with her. Her father was a man of peace, he despised fighting; and he would never want his only, precious daughter to be involved in any kind of violent activity.

Then again, if she lost the tournament, she would be a laughstock amongst the viewers of the Iron Fist Tournament, and she could never let her family name ring with the sound of mockery. That was worse than her father getting upset with her, and for the sake of her family's prestige, she was determined to win this tournament. Still, it was hard to shake away the feelings of disappointing her dad, but Lili was pretty good at hiding her emotions. After she watched Sergei's and only Sergei's match, she spent the rest of the day practicing in the training center, punching a dummy to let the nervous thoughts escape from her mind.

She stepped into the ring, looked Bryan straight into the eyes and let her first punch swing. And then another. And another and another and soon she was punching Bryan the way she punched the dummy in the training center, blindly, letting her thoughts leave her mind with every hit. And with every punch, every kick, Lili realized that she loved doing this. Fighting. Winning. Getting your own way. She loved her father, but he was wrong about peace and violence. Actions spoke louder than words, and kicks and torture hurt more than spoken threats. All her doubts disappeared and she knew what to do now. **She was going to win this tournament, at all costs.**

She decided to go to her room and stay inside for the rest of the day, it would help her calm down and get all her thoughts and feelings together. As she was walking towards her room, she passed the other competitors' rooms. No one seemed to be here, the rooms and the hallway were completely silent.

When she turned around the corner, she saw Sergei going inside his room. When he heard her walking, he glanced at her, shook his head disapprovingly, and entered his room. Lili, flustered by this gesture, approached Sergei's room and started banging on the door. He calmly opened the door, staring up at Lili as if expecting an answer. "What's wrong?" Lili asked, angrily. "You don't like me? You weren't impressed by my fighting? Was I not good enough for you?" she asked, half mocking-half angrily, concealing her hurt. "Ты колебался" Sergei answered, unemotionally. "Speak to me in a language I can understand!" Lili demanded, even angrier. "You hesitated." Sergei said quietly. "What?" Lili asked, all her anger suddenly turning into confusion.

"What do you mean? When?".

"Before. Before the match." Sergei answered as quietly as possible for Lili to hear.

"I.. I did." Lili said, letting her vulnerability show just for a second.

"But what's it to you?!" she yelled, accusing him, and also blaming him for letting her weakness show. Sergei did not answer. It was as if talking.. hurt him. Each word seemed to be a struggle to get out. Lili pressured him no more, and left the speaking all to herself. "I.. I did. I was afraid of.. letting down those who are close to me. I do not want to be a disgrace in their eyes. ". She stopped talking for a second, surprised at herself for revealing so much of herself to an opponent, then went on. "But I have made up my mind now. I am going to keep on fighting. No more hesitating for me. I came here to win, and I'm a winner." she said, proudly and mercilessly. Sergei smiled at this, and Lili gave out a tiny laugh. "I guess I'll be laughing like this again after I beat everyone, including you in this tournament and be crowned the winner." she said smugly.

He put his hand on her cheek, looked her in the eyes and opened his mouth to whisper something, then stopped; turned around and entered his room, closing the door behind him. Lili stood for a minute, surprised and confused, unsure of her next move. This was one of the only times in her life when she was left completely speechless. Except for the day where... But no, this wasn't like that! This was different. Her mind and her pride were unsure how to act, what to say, what to do; so she let her heart take control for once. She knocked on the door; and when Sergei opened it she took his face in her hands and kissed him. When she let go no words were exchanged, yet the atmosphere did not feel tense or awkward. Then she said "Good night." as she confidently turned around and walked to her room without once glancing back.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, both competitors were ready for their upcoming matches. This was the 3rd day of the Iron Fist Tournament, and some people were beginning to be eliminated. Asuka, the girl Lili beat up on her 2nd day was among the eliminated group. Lili smirked at this information when she heard it; and Sergei, who had been there at that moment, grinned to himself, realizing that he was slowly being captivated by the alluring girl's ambition and cruelty.

Now that there were only half the competitors left in the tournament, the hosts of the tournament decided to spice things up. "Doubles Tournament!" they announced. Rule change. Sergei hated rule changes. It reminded him of the fact that there was always a tricky side to everything in life.

Competitors were to be matched up randomly. They would fight in doubles against each other, and the team that lost twice would be eliminated. "Just a cheap trick to make the tournament last a little longer." Lili thought to herself. The only major difference to her was the rule that if either one of the competitors in a pair was knocked out, the team would automatically lose. This meant that, even if you were an amazing fighter, if you were teamed up with someone weak you would easily lose the tournament. Lili would not have any of this. She wasn't going to lose just because she was matched with a weakling. Unfortunately, she knew she had no say in the rules of the tournament -which frustrated her, because she was a girl that was used to always getting her way-, so all she coud do was pray to be teamed up with a strong fighter. Sergei would be okay, for instance.

The names were drawn. The pairs were "Anna Williams and Jin Kazama", "Nina Williams and Paul Phoenix", "Julia Chang and Lee Chaolan", "Sergei Dragunov and Raven", "Steve Fox and Bryan Fury", "Christie Monteiro and Eddy Gordo", "Kazuya Mishima and Kuma II" and "Lili Rochefort and Hwoarang". "HWOARANG!?" Lili yelled when she heard who she had been matched with. "They team me with Hwoarang?!".

Lili was angry. When Hwoarang approached her, she did not say a word. He tried to break the ice, but Lili was determined to keep the cold atmosphere between them. She glanced at Sergei. He didn't seem to be doing any better. Raven and he looked distant, but.. still somewhat in sync. She and Hwoarang looked hopeless. Lili gave out a sigh. Hwoarang stopped walking to face Lili and said, "Hey.". "Look, I know you're not happy with being matched with me, but like it or not, we're partners. So we have to start training together and make a battle strategy. We can't accomplish any of that with you sulking and sighing.".

"Hwoarang, look." Lili replied, trying to be patient but failing at it. "You are not my teammate. We are not going to be training, we are not going to be planning strategies together. While fighting, just swing a punch or two, and get out of my way while I'm doing my thing. Oh and, try not to get hit.".

Hwoarang replied, irritated, "And you think that'll be enough to win?".

"Why not?" the girl asked.

"Look at all the other teams." he answered. "Look at the way they communicate with each other. Lili, some of the teams are very close friends, or at least they have known each other for a long time. They know each others' fighting techniques, they know how to fight _together_. They know how to be a team. Aside from the fact that you got lucky and beat me, I know nothing about you or your fighting style. That's a major disadvantage.". "I got lucky?!" the girl asked. "I beat you because you were WEAK, not because i was _LUCKY_!" she yelled. Sergei and a few others looked at the enraged girl, her face flushed red; and Hwoarang who noticed all the stares, quickly grabbed her arm and ran out of the room.

"I was kidding." Hwoarang said, when they finally got out of earshot. "Look, I'm sorry. But right now, we need to put our differences aside. And you need to accept the fact that I am a strong fighter. I have entered this tournament many more times than you have, I know a thing or two about your competitors. You might not trust my physical strength -which you should, by the way-, but at least trust my experience and knowledge.

"Fine." Lili said, giving in. She had no other choice - for she knew that things couldn't get any more hopeless for her...


	5. Chapter 5

"So.. Teammates." Raven said, unemotionally. Sergei responded with a cold look. "I think we stand a chance, don't you think?" Raven said. This time, Sergei responded with a grunt. Raven stayed silent as well, and they parted their ways. They did not have to make any motion, exhange any words to indicate that the conversation was over. They knew each other well enough to know what the other meant by just one sound or facial expression...

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><p>"So, teams that have history." Hwoarang began. He had made a list of all the teams and was studying them over with Lili. "Eddie and Christie. Watch out for them. Eddie taught Christie almost all the moves she knows, so they know each others' fighting techniques very well. They're also close friends, which means they'll be excellent in working as a team.". He wrote the word "Teamwork" next to the team's name. "Lee and Julia. Best of friends. Worked at G Corporation together, have history, know each other very well. Might be dangerous.". He wrote "Teamwork + threat" next to their names. "Those two are the ones who will be excellent at being syncronized with each other and moving together the best." Hwoarang said, and got ready to explain the relationships between the other teams and the members. "What about Dragunov and Raven?" Lili asked, interrupting Hwoarang.<p>

"What about them?" Hwoarang asked back.

"They seemed to have some history. The way they stood together and all.. Don't you think so?" she said.

"I.. I don't know." Hwoarang replied. "I mean, there are similarities between them, but I've never really known whether there's a history between them or not.".

"I'll go investigate that." Lili said, and before Hwoarang could say anything, she left the room... 

An hour later, she was in Dragunov's room, standing with her arms on her hips. Sergei was not surprised to have the girl visit him, he knew she would do anything to get whatever it was she wanted, but still it was not something he was used to. All his life people have avoided him. He was dangerous, he was a murderer, he was "The White Angel of Death"; and anyone in their right mind would avoid to approach him. "You and Raven?" Lili asked, moving one step closer to him. Sergei looked up at her but did not say a word. "You know him, don't you? You knew him before the tournament?" Lili asked. Sergei did not say a word again but looked at Lili, then gave a nod. "It was obvious." Lili shrugged her shoulders, secretly proud of figuring out something about the mysterious Russian's past. Sergei gave out a chuckle, then motioned for Lili to come closer. Lili, surprised by his gesture, took a few steps towards him. "What have you got in mind?" she asked suggestively, stopping in her steps and looking at the man sitting in front of her. Sergei grinned at her, then got up and moved towards her. He put one hand on her shoulder, then pulled her closer to himself, and kissed her on the lips. Lili Rochefort. He had never met such a girl like her before. Sweet yet deadly, ferocious, merciless, proud, confident yet not blinded by hubris, cunning and sneaky. He was surprised at how similar she could have been to him, if they had shared a similar past. Lili kissed the corner of Sergei's mouth, then moved down, down to his neck. She gave out a tiny moan, then moved her body even closer to his'. Sergei started moving his hands on Lili's back, taking pleasure from touching her body. "Mmm" she sighed, and kissed him hard. Sergei moved his hands up, and untied her red foulard. Lili winked at him, then started kissing his neck again while fumbling with his suit's buttons. He moved his hands over her blouse and started unbuttoning it, revealing her chest and her bra. Lili wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her boobs against his now bare chest, and kissed him on the fingernail mark she had left on his cheek the previous day. He moved his hands down, down to her hips, and removed her skirt. She grinned, wrapped one leg around his body and steered him in the direction of his bed. She pushed him on the bed then climbed the bed herself, stood over on top of Dragunov and grinned at him. "Ready?" she asked him. He nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

About half an hour later they laid side by side, naked, under the covers. She was curled up against him, and he had his arm around her body. "So.." she said, straightening up to look at his face. "What's your history with Raven?". He shook his head, indicating that he would not give an answer to the question. "Oh come on, can't you tell me?" she asked half playfully, half curious. He looked at her, gave an apologetic look and shook his head again. "Sergei?" Lili asked. "... Why don't you talk?". Her tone had a hint of sorrow in it, although she tried not to let it show. Sergei looked up at her, deeply into her eyes, and a painful expression washed over his face. Then he shook his head, slowly and sorrowfully, to let her know that these were buried secrets beneath the ground, never to come out into the light again. "O-okay.." Lili mumbled, then said again, this time sternly and without mumbling: "Okay." Then she got up and picked her clothes from the floor, quickly wore them and walked out of the door.

Hwoarang was furious when Lili returned to him. "Where have you been? You can't just walk out on a discussion like that! We're a TEAM!" he lectured her. Lili rolled her eyes. "Argh, calm down Hwoa. I learned something valuable. Raven and Dragunov? I was right. They _do_ have history. And a quite complicated one. I don't know the details, but it's obvious it's composed of some rocky events and some betrayal." she smirked. "Don't call me Hwoa." was Hwoarang's only reply to this. After a short pause, Lili continued speaking again. "If they have a bad history, we can use this to our advantage. We can turn them against each other, it won't be very hard to do so! And after that they'll be terrible in the ring, and they'll be eliminated!". She was smiling widely now, very pleased with herself for coming up with this sinister plan. "Lili." Hwoarang said, then sighed. "If we waste our whole time trying to wreck other teams' relationships, we'll never have the time to build ours. That's more important. To surpass others, we need to make ourselves the best, not make the others worse.".

"Why are you here Hwoarang?" Lili asked, sighing impatiently and changing the subject.

"I have unfinished business with Jin Kazama. Why are you here?" he asked her back. Lili's face turned from mocking to dead serious.

"I have unfinished business with Mishima Zaibatsu." she replied, her voice stone cold. Hwoarang smiled at the girl's mood shift when talking about her ambition. "You're dedicated." he said. "You haven't seen half of it." Lili said, determinedly, her voice sounding lethal with the thought of revenge and her father.

"Wanna take that dedication into the training center?" Hwoarang asked.

Lili nodded, and together, they walked to the training center; just like a team...


	7. Chapter 7

Some of the other teams were already at the training center. Kicks, punches were flying around; and people were already beginning to act like a team. "Hwoarang was right." Lili thought; "People really are taking this 'being a team' thing seriously.".

They moved to a corner to practice together, and at the same time to observe how the other teams were doing. Both Williams sisters were present, fighting with their pairs and not forgetting to smirk at each other between their successful hits. Steve Fox was watching how Bryan was fighting with the training dummies and trying to copy his moves. Julia and Lee were engaged in a friendly combat. Lili and Hwoarang started training too; Lili kicked and backflipped and Hwoarang dodged; then Hwoarang swung punches and Lili dodged. "You're not fighting as awful as you did on the first day." Lili said, jumping out of the way of a kick at the same time. "Shut up." Hwoarang said and landed a punch on her face. "You shut up!" Lili yelled. She was angry. She grabbed Hwoarang's arm and twisted it, then raised her leg up high and brought it down on his shoulder, causing a great damage. "HEY!" he yelled. "Break my shoulder _after _our matches are done, eh?". Lili laughed smugly."No promises."

Right at that moment Sergei and Raven entered the training center. Lili turned her face away from Hwoarang to look at them; look at _him_,to be more accurate. Hwoarang took advantage of her being distracted and elbowed her in the stomach, causing her to fall down on her knees in an embarrassing way. "HOW DARE YOU?!" she yelled at him and quickly tried to get up on her feet; but her mind was still on Sergei (whom she hadn't had the chance to properly look at thanks to Hwoarang's elbow in her gut), so Hwoarang kicked her down again before she could rise. Lili pulled it back together, her rage rising inside because of the embarrassing position she's been put in, and crawled forward instead of trying to get up. She quickly grabbed Hwoarang's ankles and pulled him to the ground next to herself, rolled on top of him and punched him in the chest. Hwoarang managed to get his legs out from underneath her body and kicked her with both feet, giving himself enough time to escape from Lili's grip and get up. "You're not playing your A-game today, Rochefort." Hwoarang said mockingly, smirking at her to aggravate her even more. "Hwoa." she said. "**Don't call me Rochefort**.". She spinned in the air and started spinning rapidly towards Hwoarang with legs ready to kick; and that was the last thing Hwoarang saw before he passed out...


	8. Chapter 8

"W-what's happening? Where am I?"

"You're in my room. I dragged you here after you passed out in the training center." Lili said to a confused Hwoarang, lying in her bed and still looking a little dizzy.

"I passed out? I don't remember it." Hwoarang said, struggling to regain his consciousness at the same time.

"Well, duh. Of course you don't remember it." Lili said.

"Did others see me pass out?" Hwoarang asked, concerned.

"Oh yeah. There was lots of laughing and snickering. A few name calling. I dragged you out quickly though." Lili answered.

"Great." Hwoarang sighed. "Well, thanks for getting me out; but seeing that you're also the person who put me in that state in the first place, I'm not sure how big a 'thank you' you deserve.".

"Well, you should've been able to counter that move. I mean, it wasn't a very hard attack to dodge, all you had to do was duck." Lili said.

"I know!" Hwoarang said, his tone getting aggressive. He waited a few seconds before he continued speaking again. "I know." he said, this time more calmly and quietly. "It wasn't hard to dodge that move; neither were any of your moves in the ring when we battled. I was holding myself back."

Lili laughed. "Yeah sure. That's what all the contestants say after they lose." she said smugly.

"I'm serious! I..". Hwoarang paused. Then he looked Lili in the eyes and began speaking.

"Lili look... I'm sorry but.. I don't think I'm going to be able to fight my best in this tournament. I'm sorry if you had big hopes to win the tournament but it's.. It's just not going to happen.."

"**_What._**" Lili said, confusion and anger mixing in her tone.

"I.. I just can't Lili. Please understand."

"How do you expect me to understand?! First you talk about being a team and being better than everyone, then you tell me that you're_ not_ gonna try your best?! What happened Hwoarang? What changed your mind?"

"Lili.. It's.. It's a private matter."

Lili paused, a little sympathy and understanding growing in her heart, and she took Hwoarang's hands in hers and talked to him in a soothing voice.

"Hwoarang.. You said we were teammates, right? That the most important thing in being a team is understanding and trusting each other. I trusted you when you said that we needed more training, and I started respecting your abilities. And that's true because you really are strong, I know you are. I've seen your earlier battles with contestants in the previous Iron Fist Tournaments; you're really strong. ..So what's holding you back? I'm your teammate, Hwoarang. You can trust me; just as I did to you."

"Lili.. It's.. Well... Have you ever had someone close to you who disagreed with your ambitions?" Hwoarang asked.

"Yes, yes I did. Why?" Lili asked back.

"Well.. I have this relative. Well, _had_. She always hated me fighting, hated to see me get hurt and one day... One day she got sick. Really sick. And I stood beside her, hoping that she will heal, hoping that she would be cured. But.. But she didn't." Hwoarang stopped and tried to manage a smile through his now-blurry eyes. He wiped his tear away with the back of his hand and continued to speak.

"When I was holding her hand, kneeled beside her bed, she mumbled to me. She said, "Hwoarang. I don't want you to fight anymore.". Then she died. Just like that.".

"Wow.." Lili said, unsure how to react to the story Hwoarang just told. "Thanks for sharing that with me.".

"No problem.". He managed a small grin. "So that's why I can't fight my best. Because being here already hurts her and breaks her death wish; but I feel like.. If I engage in the fights with all my power and determination, it would mean that her wish didn't mean anything to me. As if I didn't even consider it. I did, I really did Lili. But I can't stop fighting. This is my passion." he said.

"Hwoarang.. What you're doing is really sweet, but I think your relative would understand that you considered what she asked of you. And that you chose this life nevertheless. Hwoarang, by not fighting your best, you're getting more damage dealt to you. And that, the fact that you're getting even more hurt will break your relative's heart even more...". ". Lili paused for her words to sink in, then continued.

"You have two options. Quit the tournament altogether, or fight your best so that the least amount of damage is dealt to you. And there's no option to quit the tournament once you began, so... That just leaves you with one option.". Lili stopped talking and waited for Hwoarang to answer. Hwoarang didn't say anything at first but nodded; then he said, "I'll think about it.". He got up from Lili's bed, no longer feeling unconscious or lightheaded, and he left the room without bidding a goodbye. Lili nodded back, even though Hwoarang's back was facing her, and she watched her friend leave with very tough decisions to make. She just hoped he'd listen to his heart, and not give up on what made him happy...

* * *

><p>Hwoarang went outside the building where the contestants stayed, looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. Then he glanced back at the building, turned around and started walking away. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew that he needed some time away. Away from the tournament, away from the fighting. The silhouette of the building slowly started to disappear with his each step, until he got so far away that the building disappeared altogether; faded like a distant memory...<p>

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><p><em>note: Dear niki, thank you so much for your kind words on my fanfiction! Since you're not a member of i couldn't message you but I just wanted to say here how much I appreciate your comments! Thank you so much :3<em>


	9. Chapter 9

"Attention ladies and gentlemen; contestant Hwoarang went missing! If anyone has any information about his whereabouts, please inform the tournament staff immediately."

The message was announced very loudly through the intercom in the morning, waking every contestant from their sleep. Some people were content about the disappearance, some remained neutral. Lili was devastated, but she managed not to expose her emotions and kept a straight face about it.

Lili wasn't the only person experiencing problems with a teammate. Bryan was so close to strangling Steve with his own hands. Christie was pissed at Eddy for witholding information from her about her granddad. Anna Williams constantly complained about her teammate's incompetence.

Sergei and Raven though were the team in the worst condition. Both men were sleep deprived and close to fainting; they had not slept one bit since they had been announced teammates. They were both people who disliked sleep -their past occupations made it an obligation for them to be able to function with the least amount of sleep possible- but this amount of sleeplessness was too tiring even for them. The truth was, they were both scared of each other. They did not hurt each other (yet), but they knew they could if they ever got the chance. Threatening looks and aggressive grunts were exchanged between them regularly to remind each other of their power and capabilities. It was as if they had a Cold War of their own; they did not say or do anything, but they were both aware of each other's potential and motive to kill.

This wasn't the first time Raven and Sergei were teamed up to work together. Years, years ago from now; there was an incident in Soviet Russia, involving two agents from SPETSNAZ...

Sergei Dragunov was a young lad, barely 16, when he first got involved with the corrupt company "Mishima Zaibatsu". He was an agent of SPETSNAZ, the Special Operations Forces, and he went on his first mission to travel to Japan to spy on Mishima Zaibatsu and find out about its plans to crash the Russian economy. He was matched with an agent codenamed 'Raven'. Raven was well built for his age, strong and violent; which was a perfect match for Sergei's wits and quick reflexes. They became great teammates and travelled to Japan together...

Sergei was buried deep in thought when a knock on the door disturbed his flashbacks and brought him back to the present day. He walked to the door, half staggering, and opened it to see a man dressed in a uniform standing with a notebook and a pen in his hands. The man waited for Sergei to say something first to start speaking; and seeing after an awkward silence that he would not initiate the conversation, flipped open his notebook and asked a question:

- Good morning sir. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about contestant Hwoarang's disappearance?

"No." Sergei answered coldy, motioning to close the door. The guy in the uniform put his foot between the door and the wall to prevent Sergei from closing it, and stepped inside without asking for permission. "I'm sorry sir, but the Iron Fist Tournament has given me an order to search through the rooms of every contestant. In case there's a case of kidnapping concerning contestant Hwoarang's disappearance.".

"I did not kidnap contestant Hwoarang." Sergei answered shortly.

"Yes sir, I believe you; but I have to check your room." the man answered, taking a step towards the closet in the room. Sergei stepped in front of the man, blocking his way. "If I had kidnapped contestant Hwoarang, I would not hide him in my room. I would've shot him with my rifle and dissected him; then hid his body parts, each in a different location.". He took a step towards the man, forcing him to take a step back. "I have served in the Russian army and executed the technique I just mentioned to you on several men." He moved his face closer to the man's, staring into his frightened eyes with a cold glare. "Are you in the mood for being tortured or killed? Because you have got exactly three seconds to turn around and leave my room before I shoot you and dissect your body parts.". The man mumbled an apology through his trembling lips, then hurriedly turned around and left the room. "придурок" Sergei muttered under his breath, closing the door after him.

Meanwhile Lili was trying to learn as much as she could about where Hwoarang could be from the other contestants. She didn't have much luck trying to ask Julia; and all Bryan had given her as advice was to ask Baek where he could be. Frustrated, she returned to her room and slumped on her bed with a feeling of hopelessness creeping up on her. She buried her head in her pillow and pulled the blanket over her, seeking comfort in the softness of the sheets. She then suddenly rose up, yelling at the ceiling:

- If I _knew_ how to contact Baek, I would've contacted him **ALREADY!**

She was surprised at how much she had raised her voice; her eyes began to water. "No. ...No." she muttered, then furiously rubbed her eyes. She tried to hide the concern, the sadness, the shame she felt because of Hwoarang's disappearance. It was hard for her to admit, but she had really grown to like the guy. "That IDIOT." she said, angry at him for making her feel things, angry because he had been the only genuine person and her only friend in her life besides her father; and now she had lost him. She left her room, wanting to clear her mind, and she started walking towards Dragunov's room.


	10. Chapter 10

"You look awful." Lili said to Dragunov, sitting on his bed right next to him, her face close to his'. "You don't look beautiful yourself." Sergei replied tiredly. Lili softly pulled his hair and let down his ponytail, then twirled a strand of his hair with her finger. Neither of them spoke a word, they just sat together as Lili played with his hair. They felt calmer, more secure with each other's presence around them. Then after a long time, Lili spoke. "Sergei." she said; "Do you know anything about what happened to Hwoarang? Where he could be?". Her voice cracked as she asked the questions. Sergei shook his head, his eyes looking apologetic for not being able to provide a better answer. Then he took her face in his hands, and very softly kissed her on the lips. Lili, after the kiss was over, shed a single tear. And then another. And soon she was sniffing softly, trying to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes, trying to contain her emotions inside. Sergei put his arms around her and put her head on his shoulder, providing a shelter. Lili, finally feeling safe enough, started silently crying as she wrapped her arms around his neck for comfort. "I'm sorry." she said between sobs. "Shh." Sergei said, and started stroking her hair. "It's alright." he said, reassuring Lili that it was okay for her to cry next to him, that he wouldn't think any less of her for crying. Lili realized that this was the first time that she cried since she came here. She realized that this was the first in a long time that she cried in front of another person. She only felt safe crying in front of her father; and she had stopped doing that a few years ago when she saw how sad it made the old man feel. She was now crying freely, no longer trying to keep it down or keep it silent. Sergei had forgotten all about his tiredness and his lack of sleep; his sole purpose at that moment was to keep the girl safe and sound in his arms. He had not felt like this for any person in such a long time. Come to think of it, he had not sheltered, nor loved, nor cared for any other person than himself over the last 9 years. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to find him." Lili sobbed, raising her head from his shoulder to look at him. She continued through sobs; "Bryan... B-Bryan told me to.. Ask Baek.. But I don't know how to contact him.". "I don't either." Sergei replied. "But I'll extract that information out of a contestant tomorrow." he said, giving a tiny but reassuring smile. Lili smiled back through tears. "Thank you." she whispered. Sergei kissed the top of her hair. "Go to sleep." he said, wiping her tears and laying her head on a pillow. "Could you stay with me?" she asked. She felt vulnerable; but she knew that she would feel even more vulnerable and weak if he left. "Of course." he said and lay next to her in bed; then pulled the blanket over the two of them. She cuddled him and went to sleep, her arms around him and his' around her, their hair intertwined; and even Sergei felt, for brief a moment, that it would be safe to fall asleep right now...


	11. Chapter 11

In the morning Sergei got up from bed, trying not to wake Lili so she wouldn't notice him going out. Last night felt.. foreign to him. He had dated many girls in the last 9 years, had lots of flings, slept with women he desired. But he never actually cared for any of them. Never once did he let anyone cry on his shoulder, never did he try to comfort a lover. It felt foreign, it felt shameful. He felt his coldness breaking, his emotions starting to function after being suppressed for such a long time. This wasn't good. He had to stop this, and he had to stop this quick. He couldn't let his emotions have a say in his decisions. Emotions meant weakness, emotions meant questioning the morality of his actions -which he did not want to do after taking the lives of many innocent people for SPETSNAZ - emotions meant death in the battlefield. He could not let himself get soft over a girl. And not only because of the need to suppress his emotions, but also because he couldn't let there be a person that he cared about. That would put the loved one in too much danger; and Sergei knew how much it hurt to lose a loved one because of your mistakes. No; he would not let himself care about the Rochefort girl.

He wrote "Went out to interrogate. See you soon." on a piece of paper, then put it on his pillow so she could see it when she woke note was cold, but that's how he meant it to be. "Don't get attached, don't let her get attached." he thought to himself.

He first went to Bryan to ask how to contact Baek. After some talking and persisting, a bit of threatening and a few punches, Bryan spilled out where to find Baek. Sergei noted the location and went back to his room. He opened the door and was greeted with Lili's voice; "See you soon."?. He remained silent.

"What the hell Sergei?! You left me alone when I specifically asked you not to!". She took a breath, contained her anger, her emotions. "But it's okay. I'm going anyways. Thanks for the night." she said, started getting up, shrugging off the hurt and the pain. "I know where Baek is." Sergei said. "Good for you." Lili said, "But I can learn that information on my own. And it won't take me years of Russian spy training to do so.". She smirked. Then she pushed him with her hand and walked out of the room.

Sergei felt uncertain. One part of him said to go after the girl, tell her "I'm sorry." and ask for her forgiveness. One part of him laughed at how soft he was becoming. And one part of him was happy, content; knowing that the girl would be safe since she was away from him. He went to his bed and pulled the covers up to his neck, ready to go to sleep, thinking to himself: "There is no one left that he can hurt. No one that I love..".

He greeted sleep like an old, forgotten friend; and even if it did bring nightmares with itself, he still found peace with its company, just for tonight...


	12. Chapter 12

The tournament went on with its quick pace. Some couples were beginning to be eliminated; among them were Julia Chang and Lee, Steve Fox and Bryan Fury and Kazuya Mishima and Kuma. Lili's matches were put on a hold because of Hwoarang's disappearance, but it was decided that the girl would be eliminated from the tournament if her partner did not return in three days. Lili was worried and anxious, not just for Hwoarang now but for herself as well. She found her concern for the boy diminishing and her need for success growing inside her. She was beginning to feel selfish again, which was actually a feeling that she had missed. She had missed looking out for herself and herself only. "Caring for others only slow me down." she thought; and after the events of the past few weeks, she promised herself to not care for someone else ever again.

She heard that Bryan would be eliminated, so she quickly made her way up to his room before he left the tournament. "Hey Bryan." she said enthousiastically. "Shut up, Lolita." he said. "It's Lili." Lili said coldly, then lightened up again. "I hear you have some information about where I can contact Baek. Would you like to share that information with me?" she asked. "I thought your boyfriend already acquired that from me." he replied. "Who?" Lili asked. Bryan looked at Lili. "What? Sergei?!" Lili laughed. "Do you really think he's my boyfriend?" she asked. "Is he not?" Bryan asked. "'Course he's not!" Lili replied. "Come on. Do you honestly think I would date a guy who is so afraid to speak that he'll faint if he does?" she giggled. Bryan chuckled in return. "I guess you're right. Why did he ask me about Baek then?". "I have NO idea. I guess he tried to impress me or something. I honestly don't know what goes through his little brain.". Bryan laughed loudly at that comment. "Does he know you feel this way about him?" he asked, clearly being entertained by this conversation. "I think it's quite obvious, but if he doesn't, well... He'd be in a surprise.". "Why would he be in a surprise?" Bryan asked. "Because." Lili said, then grabbed Bryan's face and kissed him. He returned the kiss, putting his hand on the girl's waist and slowly sliding it down. Lili pulled away from the kiss and grinned when he grabbed her butt. "So.." she said, putting her one hand on Bryan's bare chest. "Do you know where Baek is?".

An hour later she returned to her room with the information that Baek was staying at a secret dojo that was about 1-2 hours away from here. She felt dirty about how she got this information. She desperately wanted to take a shower, get Bryan's scent out of her body, wash the places where she felt invaded. She was 16, but she did not feel 16 anymore. She always had ways of seducing others and getting what she wanted, but she had never gone this far to extract information from someone. Thinking about how easily she could've learned this if she had just asked Sergei made her angrier, but not angry enough to let go of her pride and cooperate with the Russian man. "I've always taken care of myself, and I will continue to do so. I don't need his help." she thought to herself. But a part of her wanted his help, wanted his ways and techniques to get what she wanted; but mostly wanted his words to soothe her, wanted his hands to run through her hair and make her feel better about herself. "I need to forget about him and concentrate on finding Baek. That is more important now." she said, trying to convince her mind to forget about him. She packed a few of her stuff and went out of her room, then out of the building and started her journey to find Baek Doo San in a secret dojo, in an unknown area...

* * *

><p><strong>Note To Readers:<strong>

I am so so SO sorry i hadn't been able to upload in a long time:(:( It's just IB homework, college applications and everything is piling up that I can barely have time for myself. I promise that Chapter 13 is gonna come very soon though, maybe even within this week :)


	13. Chapter 13

Sergei was fighting with Raven. The day they were both waiting for had finally come. Sergei tried to choke Raven, but Raven, who was used to Sergei's fighting techniques, quickly avoided the attack and tackled the man onto the ground. Sergei, also experienced with his enemy's techniques, rolled on the floor to avoid Raven's next attack, and gained the chance to punch him in the throat. Raven tried to escape, but Sergei was still able to land a punch on his left eye. "Your scars are healing." Sergei said. "Maybe the wounds need to be reopened." he said, smirking and pulling out a knife from his coat's pocket. Raven, quick to encounter his move, pulled out his sword and replied with "Maybe yours need to be reopened too.". The remark made the Russian man's eyes fill with rage, and he plunged into Raven's chest with his knife, only to be stopped by Raven's sword. "What, you don't like to be reminded of yours but you can remind me of mine?" Raven asked. Now it was his time to smirk. Sergei fought against the sword with his knife, remembering the way he fought and sliced his enemies in the battlefield. They were both already experts at using their weapons of choice 9 years ago, and they had had a lot of time to practice since then. Sergei was surprised at how much Raven improved himself; and if they were still friends, he was sure that he would congratulate him for it. But they weren't friends, and they never could be. He sliced at Raven's arm, making a small cut. Raven tried to chop off Sergei's arm in return, but he was too slow. Sergei ran to the other side of the room and grabbed a table lamp, and threw it at Raven's head. Raven ducked, and the lamp hit the wall and broke. Soon they were throwing and breaking everything inside the room. The other contestants that heard the racket started getting suspicious about what was happening. The fight was currently being fought in Sergei's room - the hour had been too early in the morning for anyone else to be awake and see Raven enter his room. But now everyone was waking up, and a few of them yelled at them to stop the noise. Raven and Sergei though, were so engaged in the fight that they did not hear any of the contestants' voices; and they did not stop fighting until Nina Williams kicked down their door and screamed at them to shut the fuck up.

"I will not hesitate to come and shoot both of you in the head if you don't stop your fighting THIS INSTANT!" she yelled, then continued. "It's 5:30 in the morning! We're trying to sleep! I know you don't have much to lose if you don't rest - since you don't have any chance to win the tournament anyway - but there are a few people like me who actually stand a chance and who wish to not be woken up by your silly drama! Go back to your beds before I bust your heads open!". With that, the blonde assassin turned around and left the room, leaving the two men to stare at the broken furniture on the floor; until Raven too, slowly, walked out of the room and left Sergei in silence...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Lili was trying to find the dojo Baek was staying in. She had stolen a car and driven to where Bryan said he was, but she could not find the dojo itself. She asked around about a secret dojo, about a man who looked like Baek or Hwoarang, but she did not receive any helpful answer - until 2 hours later when a woman said she was a student of Baek's at a secret dojo nearby.<p>

"Why are you looking for him?" the woman asked.

"I am looking for one of his students, Hwoarang? I think he might know where he is.".

"Hwoarang? Ginger, South Korean? He joined the dojo about a week ago.".

Lili's eyes filled with hope. "That's great!" she said. "Can you take me there?".

"Sure, follow me." the woman said, and together they walked to the dojo.

* * *

><p>They entered the dojo and the woman led Lili to Baek's training room. "Lili Rochefort?" Baek asked.<p>

"Yes. Hello Baek." Lili said.

"Are you here for Hwoarang?" Baek asked. Lili nodded. "He's in the back." Baek said, pointing to a door that led to a garden. "But..." he said, grabbing Lili's arm as she started walking towards the door. "He doesn't want to go back to the tournament. In the dojo he's... peaceful. He's only fighting and meditating to improve himself, he doesn't get very hurt and he doesn't hurt anyone else. I don't think he would want to return to the tournament, Lili.".

"Let me try speaking to him." Lili replied, determined to change Hwoarang's mind.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey Hwoarang." Lili said as she approached Hwoarang. Hwoarang turned around, surprised and shocked to see the girl standing in front of him. "Lili?" he asked. "Wh-what are you doing here?".

"I'm here to get you back to the tournament, that's what I'm doing here!" Lili answered. "Hwoarang..." she continued, her voice getting softer. "Why did you leave? You... you love fighting. I know your promise to your relative is very important to you, but this is your passion! And we started this road together and now you're abandoning me. They'll kick me out of the tournament if you don't return in 3 days.".

"Oh." Hwoarang replied. "So you're not concerned for me or anything, you just want to save your spot in the tournament. This is all about you.".

"That's not true!" the girl protested. "I'm not only thinking about myself, I'm thinking about you too! I know how much you want to win. And yes, I want to win too. But if you leave, we'd both be losing without ever trying. We were doing good, Hwoarang! Don't walk out on me now, please." she begged him.

"No, Lili! I'm happy here! And I couldn't care less about the tournament, and less about YOU! Please go away. You're just making me angry.".

"Is.. Well.. If..". Lili was left speechless. Her anger was growing inside her. She tried to contain it inside her, but it burst out. "I'm making YOU angry? YOU'RE MAKING **ME** ANGRY! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO WALK OUT ON ME IN THE TOURNAMENT AFTER MAKING A SPEECH ABOUT HOW WE'RE TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS AND HOW WE NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER! AND NOW YOU'RE LEAVING ME AND SAYING THAT YOU COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT ME!? You know what, Hwoarang? I've had a lot of shit from a lot of different people; but none of them were as infuriating as you! Who do you think you are!?".

"My speech about being teammates and friends?" Hwoarang asked.

"Yes, that's what I said." Lili said impatiently.

"Yeah but that's not what _I_ said." Hwoarang replied. "I said we were teammates, I never said we were friends. Did you.. think we were friends?" he asked.

"**Wow.**" Lili said, and started walking away. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "I didn't mean it like that." he said. "I meant... Did you really consider me your friend?".

Lili paused. "Well.." she said, struggling to get the words out. "I did.".

"I did too." Hwoarang said. He gave a tiny smile. She gave an even tinier one in return.

"How'd you find me?" Hwoarang asked her.

Lili stayed silent.

"Come on.. How'd you find me?' Hwoarang said, smiling now.

"I.." Lili started. "I had to sleep with Bryan." she said.

Hwoarang's smile dropped. He looked concerned, sad, apologetic at the same time. "I'm sorry.." he said. "I had no idea..".

"It's okay." Lili said, her voice slightly shaking.

"Come here." Hwoarang said, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry for walking out on you." he said. Lili hugged him back. "I'm sorry too." she said.

"Thank you for finding me Lili." he said. "It.. It must've been hard for you, yet you still came to find me."

She pulled away from the hug. "Hey! I didn't do it all for you; I have to stay in the tournament, remember?". she said.

"Yeah." Hwoarang chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulder. "So.. Do you wanna go back?" he asked.

"You're coming?" she asked excitedly.

"Well.. I don't really want to. But.. You did a big sacrifice just to bring me back. I am very loyal to my relatives, but I'm also very loyal to my friends. And I couldn't let a friend down when they most needed me. So yeah, I'm coming back." he said.

"Oh Hwoarang!" she said, and this time she hugged him, very tightly.

"Ah okay, need to breathe!" Hwoarang said.

"Oops. Sorry!' Lili said, letting him go.

"Just kidding." he said, hugging her again. They then broke the hug and walked together to Baek's room. Hwoarang said goodbye to his teacher, mentor, father figure Baek, and promised to return to the dojo after the tournament was over. "Goodbye for now, Hwoarang." Baek said, and with that they parted. Lili took Hwoarang's hand in hers to comfort; and together they walked to Lili's stolen car and drove back to the Iron Fist Tournament...


	15. Chapter 15

Hwoarang's return was greeted with hateful looks and nasty remarks. None of the other contestants were very happy about the fact that there was another team between them and victory. "Ah, how I've missed the friendly people of the Iron Fist Tournament!" Hwoarang sighed.

"Don't mind them. We're going to crush them all." Lili said. "And you'll have your revenge on Jin and I'll have my revenge on Mishima Zaibatsu.". He smiled. "I missed your determination." he said. "I missed your compliments." she replied.

Lili was walking towards the training center when she passed over Sergei's room, seeing him sitting on a chair and sharpening a knife. He looked up to see the girl staring at him; he got up and walked over to where she was standing. "I hear you found Hwoarang." he said to her. "Yeah I.. What happened to your door?" she asked. "Long story." Sergei said, trying not to think about yesterday's events. Raven had attacked Sergei after midnight in his sleep, just as he had expected yet not had feared. Yet when he woke up his soldier instincts acted up, and he started fighting Raven with all his might, trying to stay alive. They fought for more than an hour. When it was over Sergei was tired, but he did not dare sleep again.

"Well, okay." Lili said. "If you ever need a room with a door, you know where to find me.". Sergei nodded. Then he went back to sit on his chair and sharpen his knife even more. Lili walked away, shaking her head. She felt concerned for the Russian soldier, but remembered her promise to herself about not caring for anyone else but herself; so she took off without looking back.

Sergei did not look after the girl. He did not look at anything else in the room but at his knife, which gave him a strange sense of comfort and safety. He did not notice the blood trickling from the cuts on his fingers that he accidentally made while sharpening the knife. He did not feel the pain or see the dark red stains the blood made on the carpet. He couldn't think of anything else but of the events that happened 9 years ago, still haunting him to this day.


	16. Chapter 16

Natasha Volkov. That was the name of a dark blonde haired, white skinned, 18 year old Russian girl that worked at SPETSNAZ when Sergei was 17. They had met in a group mission where they broke into the office of a minister and stole his official documents concerning a collaborative project between Russia, the US and Japan. They had been teammates for every mission ever since.

Natasha was a brave, smart girl who had the laugh of an angel. Sergei was just 17 and he was still young, innocent and talkative. He fell in love with Natasha from the first time he heard her laugh; and did anything to hear it again and again.

Natasha fell for the boy who could still manage to bring a smile to her face after a day of killing and threatening people. He was the reason why she was able to cling onto her sanity. They fell in love quickly and spent most of their free time together in secret. Quick glances down a corridor, a peck when no one was looking. They made love in a cold training room, whispering words of love into each others' ears and making plans of what they would do after SPETSNAZ was over.

A few months later they met Raven, a new member in SPETSNAZ that had dark skin and a Canadian accent that distinguished him from everyone else. He was angry. He looked 16 but spoke like 19, he punched walls and screamed at other spies when he couldn't keep his rage down. He had lost his parents and was sent to Russia to become a spy by his half-Russian uncle. "They didn't want to keep me around." he said, referring to his uncle and his pretty wife with their children. "I was too dark. I was too reckless. I was just a burden so they threw me out on the streets. Except they didn't throw me out in the street, they threw me out to fucking Russia to become a goddamn spy!". He would get angry whenever he told his story, and a few spies would try to calm him down with supporting words and pats on the back.

When he was matched with Dragunov to work on a group misson together, both were nervous. This was the first misson Dragunov went in a long time without Natasha; and Raven was still angry about the fact that he was sent away to a Russian spy and military organization.

When they packed and got ready to get on the plane to go to their mission, Natasha ran over to Sergei, kissed him on the lips and said "Don't die.". He promised not to, then kissed her back and went on the plane.

"Girlfriend?" Raven asked. Sergei nodded happily. "How long?".

"4 months." Sergei answered.

"It's a surprise you could last that long in this shithole place.".

"It's easier." Sergei said; "When you've got someone to spend it with.".

Raven looked at Sergei. Sergei smiled. "Whatever." Raven said, turning his head away.

Sergei, Raven and 23 other SPETSNAZ soldiers were headed to the Middle East, somewhere around Egypt where a clan of ancient spellcasters and healers resided. Rumours said that they possessed a mystical stone or orb that could be used as a power source; and SPETSNAZ wanted to get a hold of that power.

When the plane landed, the soldiers started shooting around. They landed near a graveyard that looked very exotic and was full of tombstones covered with prayers in an ancient language. The people around the graveyard started panicking; they screamed and tried to run away and warn the village. The soldiers shot the running people as they saw them. Blood spilled everywhere.

Sergei and Raven were nervous. They didn't know what to do, they didn't know whether to join in or not. They had killed people before, but never innocent civilians. Especially not people who didn't speak the same language and didn't even know why they were there. But Raven soon adapted, and started shooting with the other soldiers. Sergei looked at the rifle in his hands, whispered a prayer and joined his fellow comrades in shooting the people.

The villagers seemed to have heard the commotion because now more people were running towards the graveyard in an attempt to rid the land of the soldiers. A lot of people had appeared and they would've stopped the soldiers, if Raven had not grabbed a grenade tied to his belt and threw it at the villagers. The grenade went off, blasted the people and shook the earth of the graveyard, causing tombstones to break and fall. Raven laughed when he saw the scene he caused. Sergei looked at him, shocked and disgusted by his behaviour, and asked him; "Do you enjoy watching people die?".

"It's amusing." Raven answered playfully.

Sergei looked away, scared of his new friend. The other soldiers cheered Raven, who had successfully wiped out all the people around the graveyard, and they all got ready to dig and search for the power source when out of nowhere a young girl appeared yileding two knives. She threw them, landing them both in the chests of two soldiers. The rest of the soldiers stopped cheering and digging, and tried to look at what just happened; but the girl was nowhere to be seen. She then suddenly reappeared, and attacked a soldier from behind, killed him and used his body as a shield while she attacked the others. Sergei watched the girl attack all his comrades, and he suddenly came to a realization. This girl was stronger than all their force.

"WE HAVE TO GO!" he shouted, but none of his comrades heard him. They were dying and hitting the ground, one by one. "WE HAVE TO GO!" he shouted again, but to no avail. He started running towards the plane, remembering his promise to Natasha about not dying. He got on the plane and started working the engine, when he saw Raven in the distance, digging the ground despite seeing all the soldiers dying. Sergei cursed to himself, then got off the plane and ran towards Raven, trying to avoid where the girl was killing the others. Only 7 soldiers seemed to be remaining. He ran as fast as he could, and reached Raven as the girl killed 2 more soldiers. "WE HAVE TO GO RAVEN!" he said; and when he saw that he wasn't listening he pulled him from the collar of his uniform, and dragged him away from the digging site. "HEY!" Raven said, but shut up when he saw almost all the soldiers either dead or fighting with their last breath. "Oh shit." he said, and looked at the plane that was far away from where they were standing. "Oh shit. LET'S RUN!" he said, and they both started running towards the plane. They were running as fast as they could, trying not to look at the girl who had now killed the last SPETSNAZ soldier standing. She saw them running towards the plane and started running after them, screaming words of vengeance that they could not understand. Raven got on the plane first, and just as Sergei was getting on the plane, the girl threw the knife at his direction. Sergei tried to avoid, and the knife whizzed by his face, leaving a cut on his bridged nose. He got on the plane and quickly closed the doors, and Raven started to fly the plane. The girl reached the plane just in time to pound on the door a few times before it started rising, and Raven quickly flew the plane away from the graveyard, away from the foreign land that they never wanted to come back to again.

"I got it!" Raven said triumphantly. He pulled out a purple glowing stone from his uniform's pocket. Sergei looked at the stone in awe, touched it to make sure it was real and said "Good job." to Raven. Raven grinned, proud of himself.

Through the whole plane ride, Sergei was silent. He was usually a person who loved to sing and hum melodies, but right now he didn't feel like singing even one note. Raven tried to talk to him occasionally, but Sergei stayed silent to his fellow comrade's questions and attempts at a conversation. He soon gave up, mumbled a "Whatever" under his breath and turned his head away from Sergei.

When they returned home, Sergei and Raven were both congratulated for a successful mission, and were awarded the titles "The White Angel of Death" and "The Dark Talon of Death".

"It doesn't feel like a successful mission, Nat." Sergei said, sitting next to Natasha as she combed his hair with her fingers. "I don't want to be known as an 'Angel of Death'. You should've seen me back there. I almost didn't even pick up a gun. I couldn't shoot at people I didn't even know about. And they all looked so _helpless_. They had no idea why we were attacking or why they were dying and I just... I don't know if I can do this any longer Natasha.".

She kissed him on the lips and took his face in her hands. "Shh." she said. "This is what you're trained to do. This is what they want of us. Is it ethical? No, it's not. But it is what is required to stay alive.". Sergei looked at her with a desperation in his eyes. She sighed. "Look, Sergei. I know it's not nice. I know it's not good when innocent people die. But you don't have a choice. You ended up in SPETSNAZ one way or the other. And when you're working for SPETSNAZ there are two choices. Either your enemy dies, or you die. And if you want to stay alive, well, sometimes you gotta pull the trigger, whether you like it or not.".

"But you don't understand, Nat! Those.. those people. They weren't fighting us. They weren't trying to kill us. When we landed they just looked at us. If.. If we just talked to them instead of shoot at them, maybe they'd-

"They'd what? Give away their source of power? Don't be ridiculous, Sergei. And even if they did, you know SPETSNAZ would want all of it. And they wouldn't be willing to give all of it. And then there would be killing. Again. It's inevitable, Sergei. The enemy dies."

"You're so cold, Natasha." Sergei said.

"It's what you have to be to survive in the battlefield. Maybe one day after SPETSNAZ is over, I'll be less cold than I am right now. And then maybe I'll be able to properly say I love you to you."

"I already know you do.".

"And do you love me too?"

"With all my heart. I don't think I can live without you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Note:<strong> Wow! I think this is the longest chapter I've ever submitted. I really liked writing this chapter because this is the first time I was able to go into Sergei's backstory. In the following chapters, though I don't know how soon, I will explore further into Sergei's and Lili's backstories. Hope you'll enjoy that about the characters as well :)_

_P.S:_ _One person in this chapter that Sergei encounters will be a **huge** part of the sequel of this fanfiction I'm already planning! *wink wink*_


	17. Chapter 17

Bryan had been eliminated from the tournament, but he hadn't left before telling every contestant about how he banged the rich whore that was the Rochefort girl. The day after Lili and Howarang's return, every contestant had started to call Lili a "slut"; they mocked her and offered her money to sleep with them and called her a harlot. Lili acted like she didn't mind, and put on an attitude of ice, but she felt violated and dirty because of all the rumours and the gossip flying around about her. She was afraid about Sergei finding out, she was afraid about her father finding out, she was afraid how Hwoarang was going to react and how she was going to be able to sleep at night peacefully. Hwoarang threatened to murder anyone who made fun of Lili, and punched and kicked anyone who dared to say anything after he made his threats; but even that didn't stop the contestants from mocking the girl behind his back.

"I don't need your protection." Lili said to Hwoarang.

"I'm just trying to help out. I don't want them disrespecting you like that." Hwoarang replied.

"It's okay, Hwoa. I can handle it."

"I know you can handle it, but I just want to help you. I don't want them to hurt you like that. I'm your friend, I don't want to see you being treated badly."

Lili said a genuine "Thank you.", but insisted on Hwoarang not to help her.

"If you say so." Hwoarang said, dissatisfied about not being able to do anything to help his friend. The truth was, Lili felt ashamed. She felt like she brought this upon herself; and she was ashamed to talk to Hwoarang about this and was even more ashamed to see Hwoarang defending her when she couldn't herself. She walked away and was about to enter her room when she heard a contestant yell "Hey Lili!". She didn't need to turn around to understand that it was a contestant trying to mock her, but she still did to look at who the contestant was. It was Paul, holding and shaking a few dollars in his hand, saying "I'm feeling quite lonely tonight, little girl. Perhaps you can make me feel better than alcohol?". He grinned a stupid grin. Lili smiled smugly, then raised her knee and kicked Paul in the nuts. Paul screamed painfully and yelled, "You bitch! You filthy whore!".

"Stick to the alcohol tonight, Paul." Lili said, then waited for Paul to leave before she entered her room. Just as she turned the knob on the door, she saw Sergei down the corridor, listening to what had happened. Lili closed the door, then walked towards Sergei and asked, "Did you enjoy the commotion?".

"I liked your kick." Sergei said. Lili laughed smugly.

"Lili..." Sergei asked. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Lili asked.

"I mean... Are you okay with everyone calling you all those names?"

"Whore?"

"Yes, whore."

"I don't mind, Sergei. It's not as if I didn't sleep with Bryan." she smiled.

"I know, but that doesn't make you a whore. The way Bryan told the story, it was just-

"What?"

"You're not what he made you seem you are. You're not a whore that just let him bang you, you..."

"Aww, you're concerned for me. What happened to your hand?"

"What?" Sergei asked.

"What happened to your hand?" Lili repeated.

Sergei looked down at his hand and saw the cuts his knife had made the previous night for the first time. "Oh." he said, a little shocked. "I... I had a lot on my mind yesterday."

"Oh?" Lili asked, and took a step closer to Sergei. "Do you want me to clear your mind tonight?". She moved her hand to the back of his head and started moving her fingers down his neck. She kissed his cheek, moving closer to his mouth with each kiss."What are you doing?" Sergei asked. She kissed him even more, then whispered "Don't you want it?". Sergei thought about it. Did he want it? Did he want to kiss the blonde girl in front of her? Did he want to start caring for her again, after what had happened the last time he cared for someone? He imagined the dead body of Natasha, lying coldly on the ground, throat slashed, her dark blonde hair covered in blood, her killer standing above her, smirking. He tried to get the image out of his head. This wasn't Russia, this wasn't SPETSNAZ; yes, people fought here, but they didn't kill each other. He was lost in thought when Lili said "Cat got your tongue, Sergei?" and kissed him on the lips. "I have a lot on my mind." Sergei managed to say.

_"Let me clear your mind."_ Lili said, then pulled Sergei from the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the door of her bedroom, opened the door, pushed him inside, then kissed him hard as she closed the door behind them...


	18. Chapter 18

She was on top of Sergei, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his neck when Sergei held the girl's face away from his' and stopped her. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Sergei?" Lili answered back.

"No, I mean... Why are you doing this? You just had sex with Bryan. Don't you feel-

"I'm a whore, Sergei." Lili said. "I don't feel bad about who I fuck or who fucks me."

"Well" Sergei said, moving to get out of the bed, "_I_ don't want to be one of those men you just fuck or get fucked by."

"Aw but you're special!" Lili said, half teasing.

"That's not the case!" Sergei said.

"Oh wow! I never saw you get verbally angry with me before. Or with anyone else. You're usually the silent type. Why don't you talk anyways, Sergei?" Lili asked.

"Not the time, Lili."

"No, no, I'm really curious, please tell me."

"I said no, Lili!" he got up from the bed and started buttoning his shirt when Lili got up and held Sergei's arm.

"Okay, fine. Why are you angry right now?" Lili asked.

"I'm angry at the fact that you want to sleep with me right now, just because you're called a whore."

"What can I say? I'm owning up to my title." Lili said. Sergei remained silent. "What?" Lili said.

"I didn't think you were so weak Lili."

"WEAK!?" Lili yelled.

"Why do you let their words affect you so much, Lili?" Sergei asked.

"I don't let their words affect me. If I let their words affect me, I'd be crying like a baby in my room over their insults."

"And instead you're here trying to fuck a guy who broke your heart."

"You.. You didn't break my heart." Lili said.

"I didn't? _Really_?" Sergei asked, not believing her.

"Of course you didn't." Lili said.

"Hmm.." Sergei said thoughtfully.

"Oh, come on! Why don't we do it right now?" Lili said.

"Lili..." Sergei tried to object.

"No, come on! It'll be fun. I missed you."

Sergei remained silent.

"Didn't you miss me too? I'm sure you missed me." Lili said.

Sergei didn't say anything. Lili approached him and got closer to him.

"Don't you know that I love you?" whispered Lili as she seductively pressed her lips against Sergei's neck. Sergei stayed silent, as usual, which left the question unanswered. "I love you." Lili said again, biting Sergei's lip.

"Lili." Sergei said.

"What, hun?" Lili asked.

"We can have sex." He didn't finish his sentence.

"But?" Lili asked.

"But don't tell me you love me."

This time Lili stayed silent, then nodded, then returned to her seductive, manipulative way and kissed Sergei again. "Okay." she whispered. "I don't love you.".

"Thank you." Sergei said, then took off the girl's blouse and bra and got on top of her, feeling glad about how he might not have to care for the Rochefort girl after all...

* * *

><p><em>Wow! Chapter 18! I'm so sorry it took me so long to upload this. And I apologize for it being such a short chapter, but I think i'll write Chapter 19 sooner since I'm finished with my extended essay for IB and i'm almost done with everything the IB expects me to do. I've been so busy with IB it's incredible. But it's finally coming to an end. Which means I'll finally be able to continue this story at a quicker pace :)<em>


	19. Chapter 19

"That was some good sex, wasn't it?" Lili asked, laying naked next to Sergei. Sergei felt numb. He thought he cared for the girl, he thought he didn't want to hurt her, but there he had. Hurt her.

"I really enjoyed it. You're more fun when you're angry." Lili said.

"Lili..." Sergei said.

"No, it's ok. You probably regret sleeping with me out of anger and out of trivial reasons and not out of love or anything, but to be honest, I really enjoyed this. I guess I really am a whore after all."

"Lili, please..."

"Ugh, stop it. Shut up."

"LILI!" Sergei yelled.

"What?" Lili asked innocently.

"Lili, you're not a whore. You're not a slut. You just.. have horrible taste in men."

"What?" Lili asked, surprised at such a claim.

"You end up for guys that will hurt you. I will hurt you. I.. I can't love you Lili, I-

"I don't want you to love me Sergei. I just told you I don't love you myself, I'm just looking for some fun, that's all."

"Lili, you're so young."

"What? What am I too young for, Sergei? For sleeping with people that don't matter to me? For fucking a different person every night?" Lili objected.

"Lili...-

"What's your problem with love, anyway? Why can't you love me?"

"I..

"Did someone break your heart?"

"..."

"Someone left you, didn't they? What happened? Did you speak too less?"

"..."

"Oh, come on! Why'd she leave you? Huh?"

"She died."

"Oh." Lili answered.

"She was killed because of me."

Lili stayed silent.

"That is why, Lili, if you stay with me, I won't be able to love you. I.. I don't want you to end up dead."

"Sergei..." Lili said.

"And yes, you are too young to sleep with different people each night. You are too young for your heart to turn that numb and careless. You are too young to waste your time with me or with anyone else who treats you like you're less than what you're worth because you are worth a lot, Lili Rochefort. And I don't make you see that. Nor will Bryan. But you deserve more, Lili."

"Sergei, I don't love Bryan." Lili said.

"You don't love me either, Lili. Find someone you love."

"I don't know." Lili said.

"What?" Sergei asked.

"I don't know if I love you or not."

Sergei felt unsure how to reply.

"I... I feel like I can. I feel like I can and I feel like I want to love you but... I don't know. I've never loved before."

"Lili..." Sergei said.

"Please." Lili said. "Don't leave me. I don't know if I love you but you're the closest I got to love and I.. I don't want to lose this. Especially not now. I.. I really do feel like a slut. I don't feel worthy. But you make me not feel like a slut. Please, Sergei. Stay with me? Tonight? And not leave in the morning?". She looked at him beggingly. Sergei was unsure, but looking at how the girl looked at him, he knew he had no choice. "Okay." he said, reassuring the girl. "I'll stay with you.".

* * *

><p>I am sooo sorry for those of you who were maybe expecting a sex scene between the two characters! I'm not very experienced with writing about sex (I think i'm more of a fluff person^^) so I don't know how to describe a sex scene without ruining the flow and the general tone of this story. Maybe when I'm more experienced :)<p>

Btw: The next chapter is a chapter I wanted to write since the first time I started writing this story. I was looking forward to writing it soo much that I'm really happy that I'll finally be able to publish it and share it with you :) I hope that you'll like it as well!


	20. Chapter 20

Sergei thought he would stay awake until the morning, but his body gave in and he fell asleep next to the girl, his face touching her soft, blonde hair. He instead awoke with a scream in the middle of the night, a scream coming from next to him, and he immeditely jumped up and looked for the sight of Raven, trying to kill or choke or hurt Lili; but there was no such sight. There was only the girl, sitting on the bed clutching her blanket, rocking back and forth and trying to calm herself down. "What happened?" Sergei asked. The girl didn't reply, just kept on rocking back and forth, muffled sobs escaping her mouth. "Lili, what's wrong?" Sergei asked, putting his arm around Lili's shoulder. Lili screamed at the gesture, then started crying, realizing that it was only Sergei's hand that was on her shoulder and that she wasn't in danger. "Lili, are you okay?" Sergei asked, looking at the girl, afraid to touch or comfort her. Lili shook her head "no", then buried her face in her hands, trying to silence the noise of her crying but only causing herself to suffocate and cry even more. "Lili.." Sergei said, and very gently put his one hand on her back and asked "What's wrong?". Lili looked up at Sergei and threw herself in his arms, her head now on his shoulder. She cried for some time as Sergei hugged her and moved his hand up and down Lili's back, comforting her, caressing her hair at times and whispering "it's okay" softly into her ear. After calming down a bit, Lili laughed nervously, managing to speak through her sobs; "I seem to do this quite a lot now, huh?".

"What?" Sergei asked. "Cry? You can cry all you want Lili, it's okay. It's really okay.".

"Thank you." Lili said, genuinely grateful for how Sergei understood her and cared for her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Sergei asked the girl.

"I.. I don't know.. I've never told anyone.." Lili replied.

"You can tell me. I'm good with secrets, being a spy and all, you know.". Lili gave a light chuckle.

"I.. I guess it's not such a big deal but.. I was kidnapped when I was 12. My father is a very wealthy oil magnate and... Some people wanted his money and they... They captured me for ransom. They held me captive for days and kept me in the dark; no one to talk to, nothing to see, nothing to hear. Just... Pitch black nothing. I've never been that scared in my life. I struggled to escape and I finally freed myself of my shackles; and when one of my captors came to give me my lunch, I took him out and took his gun and escaped from whatever warehouse or prison they were keeping me in. I fought whoever came in my way and I shot anyone I thought was too big for me to fight. I escaped, but.. But when I got out, I wasn't me anymore. I discovered a new part of myself. A part that wanted blood, a part that wanted to fight; I wanted power, I wanted revenge, I wanted to never be able to be put in a position like that again. I.. I don't know. I think I'm over it; now that I'm strong and no one can capture me and trap me like that ever again; but some nights when it's really dark and silent, I just remember.. Remember back to how I felt then and... I just.. I'm sorry. I'm.. I just feel really weak and vulnerable and the memories keep rushing back and I..." Lili couldn't finish her sentence as tears poured down from her eyes, this time silently.

"Lili..." Sergei said. "It is a big deal. You were captured when you were only 12. And you had to kill people to escape from where you were being held. That's very traumatic; I can understand why you feel so scared.". And Lili did not have the strength to fight back as usual and say something like "I don't feel scared!"; but she instead said "Maybe. But it's probably nothing compared to what you went through.".

"Well.. I wasn't 12 when all those things happened to me." Sergei replied.

"Sergei.." Lili asked gently. "Can you tell me a bit about what you went through? You mentioned someone you loved being killed.. Who was she?".

Sergei paused for a moment, then asked "Are you sure right now is the best time for me to tell you my stories?", concerned for the girl's current state of fear and afraid of scaring and traumatizing her even more.

"Perhaps not the best time for all the gory details. But still, tell me some of the things. How you felt. How you coped." the girl answered.

Sergei paused for a moment. His experience in SPETSNAZ wasn't an easy thing to talk about and share; yet alone it would be the first time that he even tried to talk about the subject to anyone else. He hesitated at first, but then decided to open his mouth and let the words pour out for the first time in such a long time.

"Her name was Natasha." he said. "Natasha and I, we were soldiers together in a Russian military organization called SPETSNAZ. We were lovers at the time, but then... then Natasha died. And because of me. Because of a stupid mistake, because I just couldn't keep my mouth shut that day. I betrayed her and my comrades. If I had just kept silent... The enemy would have killed me, but she and all my friends would still be alive..."...

Sergei stopped speaking and looked at Lili. The mixed feelings of regret, pain, sorrow, disappointment in Sergei's eyes made Lili's heart break. Before she could do anything, Sergei continued to talk.

"The day she died... No. The day she was killed, I made an oath. That I would never speak again. Never open my mouth unless absolutely necessary. And never get too close to someone in case I would endanger their lives. I've kept my oath for 9 years... until I met you."

"Wow." Lili said, speechless and uncertain at first how to respond to such an intimate part of Sergei's life. "I feel so special that you're telling me all of this. I'm so sorry for all you've had to go through, Sergei."

"It's alright. I've never told anyone before. But when you trusted me enough to tell me about your kidnapping, I realized that I could trust you too."

Lili shuddered at the word 'kidnapping', reliving her nightmare and her memories of being taken prisoner. Sergei, noticing the girl's distress, stopped talking and looked at her. He put his arm around her shoulder and said, "How about we tell the rest of our tragic backstories on a different night? You seem tired.". Lili lightly chuckled. "That sounds great." she said.

Sergei took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was quick yet passionate, full of love and affection. She laid her head on Sergei's chest and let him stroke her hair.

Sergei, noticing that the girl was still shaking a bit from her nightmare and having trouble falling asleep, began singing a lullaby to soothe her. Lily did not understand the words of the Russian lullaby, but Sergei had such an angelic voice that she soon forgot about all her troubles and drifted off to sleep, safe in his arms.

* * *

><p><em>Omg! I am so so sorry for neglecting this fanfiction for SO long! Honestly, I had lost some of the enthusiasm I had for the story in the last couple of months, but playing Tekken with my friend again yesterday and playing as Lili and Sergei helped me connect with the story once again.<em>

_I am sorry for any possible grammar mistakes, it is 4:30 am here and I'm really sleepy, but I wanted to finish this chapter before I drifted off to sleep. I will check for mistakes tomorrow, in the meanwhile, if you spot any, feel free to leave your corrections in the comments!_


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